The Celestial Mother
by TohokuDustCo
Summary: Tired of a restrictive home life, a young princess joins a mysterious creature on a quest to find its mother. But space travel is not kind to the ill-prepared.


"Come on, Rose, wait up!" cried a young boy as he stumbled after his sister. At eight years old, he was four years his sister's junior, and he spent every available moment by her side. With their mother no longer around, part of the girl felt responsible for watching him. She permitted him to accompany her on her little excursions, and in the afternoon would often read to him from the castle library.

Rosalina slowed her pace to allow him to catch up. They didn't have far to go, though. She stopped a few yards out from a shallow cave, just a ways down the road from the castle. The castle's spires were still visible over the hill, banners swaying gently in the breeze. She pressed a finger to her lips, and adjusted the basket she was carrying.

"Wait here, okay?" Rosalina whispered. Her brother nodded obediently, and she crept towards the cave. Beneath the shade of the cave's overhang, a large green reptilian creature was fast asleep in a pile of straw. As she approached, it opened its eyes slightly. She reached under the red-and-white checkered blanket that covered her basket and retrieved a large red fruit. Setting the basket down, she offered the fruit with both hands extended. The creature sniffed the fruit enthusiastically, then, without warning, it opened its mouth and grabbed the fruit with its long tongue, yanking it out of Rosalina's hands. She leapt back as it happened, but giggled as the creature swallowed the fruit whole.

"Ooh, ooh!" her brother cried. "Can I feed the Yoshi too?"

"Go ahead." She plucked another fruit from the basket and handed it to him. The boy offered it to the creature, just as she had done. Likewise, it snatched the fruit from him just as it had done. He let out a yelp, and fell on his rear. "Are you okay?" Rosalina gasped.

Her brother burst into laughter. "That was fun!" She couldn't help but laugh too. Unfortunately, the festivities were cut short when Rosalina heard her named called out sharply.

"Eep!" She turned on her heel and came face-to-face with her father.

With a stern expression, her father said, "Rosalina, what are you doing out here?"

Innocently, she replied, "Oh, nothing. Just feeding the Yoshi."

This answer was not to his satisfaction. "I thought I told you not to leave the castle on your own."

"I'm not on my own, though. I've got my brother with me." The boy waved, and the Yoshi mimicked him. She became slightly more serious. "Besides, you never take me anywhere, so I had to find someone else to go with."

Their father rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Just come back inside, okay?"

"Aww," the siblings moaned in unison. "A few more minutes?" Rosalina bargained. "It's not like we went that far."

"Now," their father demanded firmly.

Rosalina pouted, but collected her basket, emptying the remaining fruits to leave for their friend. She and her brother waved goodbye, and the Yoshi waved back somberly.

They spent the rest of the evening in the library, rummaging through the various books archived there. Rosalina settled on a light, simple one. A tale about a hero who defeated a terrible monster that threatened the balance of an otherwise peaceful kingdom. It was a little predictable, and she'd read it to him before, but it was short enough to read in one sitting, and she enjoyed it nonetheless.

As she read from the final confrontation, Rosalina imagined herself as the hero, sword and shield in hand, challenging the great beast. She held up her left hand as if wielding a blade, and kept the book in the right. As the hero battled his foe on the page, she swung her arm in pretend, fighting an imaginary foe of her own. Her brother laughed energetically at the amusing display, before joining in on the fun. He stood on one of the sofas in the library, raising his hands in imitation of claws.

"Rawr!" He growled amidst fits of giggles.

"What have we here?" Rosalina said, going off-book in feigned surprised. "Another foul creature? Have at you!" She lunged with the imaginary blade.

Her brother threw himself down onto the cushions of the sofa. "Oh no!"

"Aha! I have slain the beast!" she said triumphantly, raising her imaginary sword to the sky. Gently shutting the book and setting it back into its place, she added, "And thus, the kingdom was saved, and everyone lived happily ever after."

"Hooray!" Her brother exclaimed, but a sudden thought changed his mood. "Hey, Rose?" he asked solemnly.

"Yes?"

"Is Father mad at us?"

Rosalina smiled. "Don't worry, he's only mad at me."

"Aren't you worried?"

"No. He's always mad at me for something. But he hasn't done anything yet."

"Oh." He yawned.

She put her hands on her hips. "Sounds like you're ready for bed."

"Do I have to?" he whined.

"I won't make you," said Rosalina. "But you're going to feel tired all day tomorrow if you don't."

"Fine…" He sauntered towards the door. "Good night, Rose."

"Good night." She made her way back to her own room, but did not turn in for the night just yet. She grabbed the tripod telescope she had been given by her father a few years back, and set it down on her room's balcony. She traced the star's positions in the sky, taking note of the ones whose names she already knew. As she looked up from the telescope, something caught her eye, moving across the constellations. Perhaps a fast-moving comet? She attempted to track it down with the telescope.

As she caught sight of the object through the telescope's lens, it appeared distinct, yet out of focus, as if close. A meteor? Rosalina looked up and watched it disappear behind the hills. It emwas/em close. And she had to see it for herself. Quietly, she snuck downstairs, avoiding the guards' lines of sight as she neared the door. It was not the first time she had snuck out after sunset, though her ability to do so came after extensive experimentation… and the consequences thereof. There were always a couple of guards on the door, so she snuck into the nearest room from it and clambered out of the window, shutting the window silently and sticking to the ledge until she reached the bridge so that she could cross the moat safely.

The landing point was further out from the castle than she had ever gone before. It wasn't just a couple dozen yards. By the time she found the overturned dirt from the impact, the castle was entirely out of sight. Only, it wasn't a meteorite that she found at the end of the trail. It was a metal object, with a distinct mushroom shape. Rusty and beat-up, its lights flickered as it lay imbedded into the ground.

"Um… Hello?" No answer came, so she decided to take a look for herself. She pried a porthole open and crawled inside.

The interior was small and simple. A device covered in buttons and switches was set into the middle of the space, and benches ran along the interior wall. Missing panels gave a glimpse of the wiring and metal skeleton. It was occupied by a small creature with a pale, yellow star-shaped body, lying unconscious on the floor. Rosalina approached the creature cautiously and knelt down to examine it.

"I've never read about anything like these before…" she muttered. She poked it, and found it to be soft, like a pillow. Unfortunately, doing so also roused it from its sleep.

"Ahh!" the little creature yelled as it shot up into the air. Rosalina shrieked, and fell over backward. "Please don't eat me, Monster!" the creature pleaded. "I'm not tasty at all!"

As Rosalina found her bearings, she sat up and said, "I-I'm not going to eat you! I was just wondering what you were. Did you come from the sky?"

The creature perked up. "You aren't going to…? Oh! Yeah! This is my ship. Isn't it great?"

Rosalina surveyed the battered wreck. "Uh, yeah. So, what are you? Where'd you come from?"

"I'm a Luma! I came from the planet of the Luma!"

"A Luma?" Rosalina asked. "What's your name, though?"

"A name? I, um…"

"You don't have a name?" Rosalina asked. Of course, she needed some way to address him. "How about I just call you Luma, then?"

"Okay!" he said cheerily.

"So… you came from another planet?" Rosalina said in awe. Something did catch her as being a little off, though. "Why's your ship look like one of the mushrooms we have here then?"

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" Luma offered. "There are mushrooms like this on a whole bunch of planets."

"Rosalina leaned forward and hugged her legs against her chest. "Huh. I wish I could travel to other planets too…"

"Then come with me! This thing can travel to all sorts of planets!" Luma hit a switch on the center column, causing the ship to roar to life, sputter, then die entirely, leaving the two in the dark. "Oops."

"I can't. I'm not actually allowed outside the castle."

"Oh…" Luma looked around. "But aren't you outside of it right now?"

"Yes, but nobody knows that I'm here," Rosalina said.

"Oh no! Aren't you worried about being caught?"

Rosalina shrugged and replied, "What's my father going to do if he finds out? Lock me in the castle?"

"I suppose," Luma said nervously.

Changing the subject, Rosalina asked. "It doesn't look like you really know how to fly this thing. What are you doing all the way out here?"

Luma sighed. "I'm looking for my Mama. I know she's out there somewhere."

"I'm sure she's looking for you too," Rosalina said encouragingly. "Perhaps if you wait here, she'll come find you."

"I…I don't know."

"If you're worried, perhaps I can wait here with you."

"But your father…"

"If it gets too late, I'll go back home, then I'll come back tomorrow night."

"Okay!" Luma smiled, or at least appeared to smile in the way that a creature with no visible mouth could. He plopped down beside her and waited. After a few minutes of antsy waiting, Luma said, "I can't wait to meet Mama. Do you have a Mama?"

"No," said Rosalina. She caught herself. "I mean, I do. But she left us a long time ago."

"Is she looking for you?"

Rosalina shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Oh... What if my Mama left, and she's never coming back?" Luma whined.

"It's too early to give up now. We only just started waiting."

"Is she going to get here soon?"

"I don't know. She still has to find us. It could take all night, or all week, or even longer."

Luma wailed. "I'm never going to see Mama!" Rosalina decided not to say anything that would make matters worse. She sat in silence as he preoccupied himself with his worries, blocking out his childish panic over unfounded concerns. As the night passed by and Luma came to a conclusion that satisfied his own fear, Rosalina felt her eyelids grow heavy. She considered returning home. Luma had tired himself out, and wouldn't know she had abandoned her post until morning. She knew she couldn't let anyone in the castle come looking for her and find Luma or his ship, but she could not muster the strength to stand as she faded into sleep.

#

Rosalina awoke with the sun already above the horizon. She immediately jumped to her feet, waking Luma in the process. "Oh no, I have to get back!"

"Huh?"

"Back to the castle," Rosalina said. "Before my father comes looking for me."

"You'll come back, right?"

Rosalina had to be honest with him. She didn't want to make a promise she couldn't keep. "I don't know. I'll do my best to."

"Alright. See you later."

Rosalina nodded and ducked out of the ship, closing the porthole gently before sprinting as fast as she could back down the road. The front gate was unguarded from the outside, but she knew better than to barge in. She made her way along the outer edge of the castle to her window, and crawled inside, only to come face-to-face with her father.

"Young lady, where have you been?"

"I was just out for a morning walk," Rosalina said, though even she knew she was obviously lying.

Her father frowned. "Is that so? Then why is it that you are coming in from the window?"

Gritting her teeth, Rosalina shouted, "Because I knew you'd be upset! I can't stay cooped up in the castle all day!"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why can't you try to understand? What would you have done if one of _them_ caught you?"

"You can't live in fear of them forever! I thought you were brave, so why are you acting like a coward?"

"If you won't listen when I tell you to stay in the castle," her father said sternly, "then maybe you will when I tell you to stay in your room. You are grounded until you learn your lesson."

"But-"

"You heard me. Go to your room."

_This is unfair_, Rosalina thought, but knew making that argument would fall on deaf ears. Instead, she stormed off to her room, slamming the door behind her and burying herself under the covers of her bed. Some time passed before she heard a knock at the door. She didn't care who it was. All she had to say was, "Go away."

"Rose?" It was her brother. "Are you coming to play today?"

She sat up, adopting a softer tone of voice. "I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to leave my room anymore."

"But… Who's going to play with me?"

"You're just going to have to ask one of the Toads to do it." It hurt her to say this. As much as she hated her father, her brother never did anything wrong. He didn't deserve to be hurt by all this. But his silence told her that he had left, so she laid back down and buried her face in her pillow.

Her thoughts went back to Luma, and she pondered whether it was worth risking going back to him. Luma seemed to be hopeless without someone to support him. Besides, his ship could take her somewhere far away, where she could pass the time the way she had always wanted to: by exploring the world. No one would tell her what to do.

At the same time, though, she had to think of her brother. She wondered if she should ask him to come. Together they would have an adventure grander than anything they had ever read about in their books. As she thought about it, though, she decided against it. As much as she hated to admit it, her brother was probably better off without her. He enjoyed the trips they took when she broke the rules, but even if the rules she broke were unjust, that kind of influence was going to get him into trouble one day. Trouble had already found her. She steeled her resolve. Tonight she was going to leave for good.

She packed a few outfits, some of her favorite books, all the money in her piggy bank, and her telescope. Though it was once her father's, it reminded her of a happier time, of the days when her mother was there, and the three of them would watch the night sky. Even as a princess, that telescope was one of the few truly precious things she had.

With the exception of servants bringing food to her room at her father's request, no one else came to visit her that day. Which was all for the better. As midnight approached, she opened the door and peeked outside. There was a guard who was stationed to keep an eye on her, but he apparently couldn't take the job seriously enough to stay awake. She felt sorry about the earful he would be receiving in the morning, but she could not let pity hold her back. She had received plenty enough herself. Carrying her satchel with care, she snuck down to the kitchen and stuffed some bread and other food items into her picnic basket, with a pitcher of water for hydration. Though cumbersome, her haul was necessary for her trip.

Hanging the basket on her arm and grabbing the water pitcher and telescope, she made her way out the window and to the bridge. It was surprisingly simple once she got out of her room, though. Her father put too much faith in that one Toad.

As she walked down the road, Rosalina took one last look at the castle and hesitated. This was real, it wasn't just an idea anymore. She was leaving the only home she had ever known. The only people she had ever known. Though, it was also the only home, the only people, she was ever allowed to know. Meeting Luma taught her that there were more worlds than she had ever imagined waiting for her to discover, and she wasn't going to see it from inside the castle. To do so, she had to find the courage to break her ties with this world.

#

"You're back!" Luma cheered.

Rosalina set down her supplies on the floor. "Sorry I had to leave you alone all day."

"That's okay. I'm just glad you're back." Luma looked at the things she brought. "What are all these for?"

"I changed my mind. We can't wait here forever. Let's go find your mother ourselves."

"Okay!" Luma excitedly hit a button on the control panel, and the ship began to light up.

"Wait," Rosalina realized. "Was the ship working last night?"

"I learned how to fix it from my brothers and sisters!" said Luma proudly. "I worked on it while you were gone today."

"That's good." Even she had to recognize how foolish her decision was in leaving while not yet knowing the ship was airworthy. While the cosmetic damage was not repaired, the systems seemed to be in working order. That brought her to her next question. "Do you know how to fly this thing?"

"Of course I do! How do you think I got here?"

Rosalina raised an eyebrow. "You… crashed."

"Oh. Well, only once! Hang on!"

Rosalina grabbed the pitcher of water and held on to it, putting her legs in front of the telescope to keep it from rolling. With the press of a button, the ship began to rise off the ground. It ascended higher, until it was clear of the hills and treetops. As they began moving, Rosalina took one last look at the castle from the sky. Everything looked so small from up there. The castle looked like a dollhouse, and the rivers like cracks in stone. The green grass shrunk into the blue oceans, and the blue oceans into the black of space.

As the ship's flight grew gentler, Rosalina reorganized her basket, setting the pitcher inside among the food and coins to prevent it from falling over. Once it was secured, she returned to the window. She could no longer see the planet anymore. All that was left was a canvas of stars.

"This is amazing," she muttered.

"If you think this is amazing," Luma said. "Just wait until you see the other planets. There's one that has a huge beach! Oh, maybe we should go there first!"

"Wow," said Rosalina. She yawned. "I'm going to get some rest. Is it alright if I sleep for a while?"

"Okay. Good night!"

Rosalina stretched out along the bench and closed her eyes. At first she struggled to doze off, but exhaustion won out in the end, and she drifted off to sleep.

#

"How long until we reach that planet, Luma?"

"I don't know. A couple weeks?"

Rosalina scratched her head as she laid down on the bench. Her hair felt greasy and flat, and her stomach was aching from hunger as her rations dwindled. "How long have we been flying?"

"A week and a half? Um, yeah, I think that's right."

They simply didn't have the supplies to last another two weeks. With little water left, dehydration was on the horizon. "Why's it taking so long?" she whined.

"Well," Luma said nervously. "The planets are kinda far apart. Oh! We could get some star bits! I love star bits."

Without lifting her head off the bench, Rosalina asked, "Star bits?"

"Yep! It's like, uh, rock candy."

She didn't have much option to be picky. "Okay. Where do we get these 'star bits?'"

"They're all over space! We can just reach out and grab them!"

Rosalina sat up. "Yeah… Just one problem with that. There's no oxygen in space. If we open up the ship, we'll die."

"I can breathe in space!"

"Okay, well, I can't, so I'll still die. Where else can we pick up some food? You know, that's not two weeks away?"

"Hm… Oh! We can go to the Sweet Factory! The whole planet is a factory that makes all kinds of desserts! Imagine, being able to eat sweets all day!"

Rosalina thought back to a time when she had maybe a little too much cake one birthday. "It sounds good at first, but I think we'd get tired of it quickly. Is that it?"

Luma thought for a moment. "Ah! What about Honeyhive? We can get fruit, and water, and of course, honey!"

Rosalina nodded feebly. "That sounds good. How far is that one?"

"We could probably get there in… Let me check. Oh, seventeen hours!"

"You seem to know a lot."

"My brothers and sisters taught me everything I know about navigating the galaxies. They even taught me how to read the starmap," Luma said. He showed her a monitor on the console that displayed a low-detail map of the surrounding area. All it looked like to her was a series of symbols and dotted lines.

Rosalina sighed. "Speaking of which, I miss my brother. He's younger than me, so I had to teach him everything I could. I wonder how he's doing without me…"

"Are you worried about him?"

"No, I'm sure he's fine," said Rosalina. "He's stronger than he looks." She rolled out her shoulders. "I can't wait to see this Honeyhive place. We've been cooped up in this little ship for so long… I really need to stretch my legs."

"I like the ship," Luma replied.

"I don't dislike it, I just wish it was a little bit bigger. You know, so you could walk around."

"I guess you're right."

Rosalina's stomach growled. She picked up the last of her food rations, though the little bit of dry bread would hardly constitute a meal. "Let's just focus on restocking the ship."

"Okay, Miss Rosalina."

Rosalina frowned. "You don't have to call me 'Miss.' I'm not that old."

Luma panicked. "Oh! I'm sorry, Miss Rosalina!"

"We'll work on it," said Rosalina with a sigh.

#

Like the planet that she had left over a week ago, the Honeyhive planet was dominated by blue seas and a green surface. She wasn't sure if it was the excitement of it being her first alien planet, or the relief of finding a habitable planet after exhausting their supplies, but she felt more energetic as they touched down. The landing was a bit rough, causing her to bump her head against the wall behind her seat. She rubbed it as she gathered some coins. "Maybe I should try landing us next time," she quipped as she stepped outside.

The first thing that stood out was the flowery spring air. Well-tended gardens boasting a variety of flowers and towering trees spread out before them, leading up to a river which ran from mountains covered in lines of yellow hexagons arranged sporadically up the cliffside. Yellow-coated workers bustled around, sometimes glancing towards her, but were far more preoccupied with their jobs. They were a fascinating species unlike anything she had seen at home, bee-like in nature, but vaguely humanoid as well. It wasn't until Rosalina approached that one of them took the time to speak to her.

"Morning!" the bee said. "Welcome to the Honeyhive Kingdom! Can I help you with anything?"

A lump formed in Rosalina's throat as she tried to speak. It was the first time she had to speak to a complete stranger, and she didn't exactly get along with the little bees on her home planet. "We were looking to buy some food for our trip," she murmured.

"What was that?" asked the bee quizzically.

"We need food," she said a bit louder. She showed the handful of coins she brought along. "We're willing to pay."

"Oh, why didn't you just say so?" the bee said proudly. "We just have to ask the Queen. Don't worry, she's very generous to guests. I'll take you to her!" He motioned for her to follow, and headed off towards a bridge that crossed the river towards the mountains. Rosalina looked at Luma, who was looking around anxiously. The bee certainly seemed odd, but not malicious. "Do you want to stay with the ship?" she asked.

"This place is bigger than I thought it'd be." Luma whimpered. "So many people…"

"I understand. Just wait in the ship, okay?" She caught up to the worker bee as he waited for her at the bridge.

She was led up a gently sloping path that took them into the mountains. Among the peaks was a clearing, a dot of land in the middle of a natural lake. A plank bridge allowed a safe way to cross to the island, where the Queen Bee was sitting, or rather, floating just off the ground, all while keeping Rosalina under a watchful, seemingly scrutinous eye. The Queen was one of the largest living creatures Rosalina had ever seen, roughly the size of a small hill. The worker bee announced, "Presenting, our Queen!"

Rosalina felt slightly intimidated by the queen's size, but attempted to remain as polite as she could, taking a deep bow before she started speaking. "Good day, Your Majesty… Um, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, visitors?" the Queen said inquisitively. "How cute you are. I've never seen one of your kind before."

"Yes, my planet does not have a history of space travel." She tried to remember the etiquette that she had learned as a princess.

"If you've come all this way to see me, you must need something. Please, ask freely."

Rosalina shook her head. "My friend and I were only passing through, but we have no food left on our ship. We need to buy some more."

"Oh, I see. In that case, take what you need. We have no need for money here, so don't fret over the price."

"Of course. Thank you for your kindness." Rosalina felt a wave of relief wash over her. She offered up a coin in an open palm. "Take this. Not as payment, but as a token of gratitude."

"Very well," said the Queen. The worker accepted it from Rosalina and brought it to her. "I wish you well on your travels, child. You are welcome here anytime you'd like to return."

Rosalina smiled and bowed again, returning to the garden where the ship and Luma were waiting. The worker who escorted her saw to it that she was provided with supplies, overflowing her picnic basket as well as providing a couple extra baskets, a pouch of water, and a jar of honey the worker described as 'the pride of Honeyhive.' As the two prepared their ship for liftoff, Rosalina stated, "That went better than I expected."

"It was so scary while you were gone," Luma replied.

Rosalina nodded. "Next time just stick with me. I'll protect you."

"But what about you? Who's going to protect you?"

"You, of course. We have to look out for each other, right?" Luma didn't answer. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm too small to protect anyone."

"You just need to find your inner strength. Until then, I'll work twice as hard to keep us both safe."

"O-okay."

Rosalina leaned forward. "So, we were heading to that beach, right?"

Luma perked up. "Oh, yeah! The Beach Bowl! I can't wait to see it!"

"You haven't been there either?"

"No, I'd never left my home planet until I went looking for Mama. But I want to visit every single one that my siblings told me about!"

"Your mother has to be on one of the planets out there. We'll find her."

#

During the long voyage from Honeyhive to the Beach Bowl, Rosalina spent a lot of time staring out the window into the emptiness of space. As she did, she spotted something cross their path, close enough to be seen with the naked eye. It gave off a faint blue glow as it passed across the backdrop of the stars. "Luma, look!"

Luma joined her at the window. "Oh, wow! We have to get to that comet!" He hurried back to the controls and started to chase it. Slowly but steadily, it grew larger in the sky.

As they approached, Rosalina could tell it was a small comet, only a few times larger than their own ship. Nevertheless, it held a decent gravitational field. The ship landed securely on the surface, giving them a chance to survey the landscape. It looked less like a comet and more like a tiny planet. Most of the comet was covered in ice, but a few patches of grass hinted at an atmosphere. A livable one, at that. The fear of being mistaken held her back, but curiosity won out, and she opened the door a crack. As the stuffy air of the starship gave way to fresh, though chilly air, Rosalina pushed the hatch all the way open and stepped onto the surface.

"This is amazing," Rosalina said as she shivered from the cold. "I didn't know a celestial body this small could have such a strong gravitational pull, let alone an atmosphere."

"Me neither," said Luma.

She ran her hand across a patch of grass. "That's weird. It's slightly warm. The comet must be emitting its own heat. Which means the water under this ice is most likely liquid…"

"Oh! Look!" Luma pointed at the ice. "There's star bits in there!"

Upon closer inspection, there was definitely something under the ice. "You mentioned those earlier. Perhaps we should try to dig some out. We need some tools, though."

"There's a shovel in the compartment under the floor on the ship."

"There's a compartment under the floor?" Rosalina asked.

"Yeah. It's where I got the tools to fix my ship while we were on your home planet."

"Okay, be right back." Rosalina climbed back on board and searched until she found the floor panel that covered the compartment Luma mentioned. As she lifted it up, she discovered a shovel, wrench, and a few other things. A small net caught her eye, which she figured could be used to fish the star bits out of the water. She grabbed it and the shovel and returned to Luma. Setting the net aside, she held the shovel with both hands and lifted it over her head, then brought the edge of the shovel's blade down hard on the icy surface. It left a shallow mark in the ice, but failed to break through. Still, it was only one hit. Rosalina repeated the process, chipping away at the surface. The chill in the air made her movements lethargic, until a break inside the warmth of the ship became very desirable. Before she threw in the towel, however, the blade smashed through the ice, leaving a small puncture.

Luma grabbed the net. "Oh, can I do it? Can I catch them?"

Rosalina nodded and smiled feebly. "Yeah. I'm going to warm up inside. Come in when you're done."

From the warmth of the cabin, she watched Luma root around in the water with the net, building up a small pile of colorful rocks on the ground beside him. She hugged her legs against her chest and enjoyed the time to herself. Luma certainly had energy in reserve. In that way he reminded Rosalina of her own brother, so she knew that the only way she was going to survive was occasionally to watch from the distance and let him let off some steam on his own.

After about fifteen minutes, Luma returned to the ship with the net loaded with his loot. He dumped the net out on the floor, causing several sparkly stones to clatter on the metal panels. "Try one!" he insisted.

Rosalina leaned over and picked one up. "What do I do with it?"

"Eat it!" Luma shoved a star bit into its mouth and swallowed it whole, barely fitting the whole thing in there. Come to think of it, it was the first time she had seen Luma eat anything. She wasn't aware he even had a mouth, as he talked well enough without it.

Rosalina turned the rock in her hands. It was lumpy, and half the size of her head. She steeled herself, then bit into a corner like an apple. The star bit rejected her, and instead sent a jolt of pain into her jaw. "Ah, I think I chipped a tooth." She rubbed the tooth with her thumb. It wasn't damaged, but it still hurt.

"You have to swallow it."

"Rosalina held it up. "I can't fit this thing in my mouth. It's huge!"

"Oh…" said Luma. "I'm sorry, Miss Rosalina."

Driven by curiosity, Rosalina thought of another way she could try it. She set it on the ground outside, whacking it with the flat of the shovel with all the force of her weight. The star bit shattered like glass, and she dug out a piece small enough to suck on like a lollipop.

"How is it?" Luma prodded.

"Tastes a bit like that honey we got from Honeyhive," she said with mouth full. She broke the remaining star bits down a little more, then gathered them up into a jar.

Meanwhile, Luma stared off into the cosmic horizon. "I wonder where this comet is taking us."

_The comet's not taking us anywhere_, Rosalina figured. We're just hitching a ride.

"Oh, I know!" Luma blurted out. "Maybe if we stay here, the comet will take us to where my mama is!"

Rosalina chuckled. "I thought you wanted to go to the Beach Bowl."

"Finding Mama is more important!"

Such a fickle creature Luma was. Disappointed as she was to be abandoning their beach trip, she understood what this voyage meant to Luma. Inside the sanctuary of the ship, Rosalina rested her head. The absence of daylight had thrown off her internal clock, and she felt tired more often than not.

Luma shut off the light. "Good night, Miss Rosalina."

"Good night."

#

Rosalina woke to find herself alone in a room drenched in a blinding white light. She shielded her eyes with one arm, seeking out something distinct to orient herself with. It was not until her eyes adjusted that she spotted a woman in a blue dress with long blonde hair. The woman had her back turned to Rosalina, and appeared to be walking off into the white void. As Rosalina called out to her, the woman turned, looking back at the child over her shoulder. Rosalina knew her.

"Mama, where are you going?" She heard the words, but it seemed as though they came from her mind rather than her mouth.

"Do not fret," Rosalina's mother said. "I will always be watching over you, as the moon watches over our home."

"What if I go too far away, and you can't find me anymore?"

Her mother smiled. "Then I will become a star, and guide you home." With that, she vanished like a haze into the light.

"Mama! Please, don't leave me again!" She closed her eyes and let out a scream of frustration.

"Miss Rosalina!" Upon hearing this voice, she opened her eyes, and found herself back on the little mushroom-shaped craft, tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes as Luma gave her some space. "Are you okay?" Luma asked.

"Yes. I just was having a dream about my mother."

"Were you happy to see her?"

Rosalina shook her head. "No. Because I know… I'll never see her again."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Sitting up straight, Rosalina said, "It's okay. I should be over this by now. She left me so long ago."

"I never met mine. But I still miss her."

"I promise, I haven't given up on helping you find her."

Before either could say another word, the comet was rocked by a violent tremor. Rosalina yelped. "What's happening? Is it an earthquake?" She hurried to the window and discovered a field of ship debris around them. Chunks of ice floated off the comet as it shoved a piece of metal to the side.

"It's a bunch of space junk," Luma observed.

Rosalina's shoulders tensed up. "I don't know what happened to those ships, but I think we should turn back before we get in too deep ourselves."

"But the comet…"

"It's just a comet!" she shouted.

"It's going to take us to Mama!"

"Luma!" Another piece of debris slammed into the ship, leaving a menacing crack on the viewport. Rosalina held on to the control column to stabilize herself. "I know you want to find your mother, but we're not going to do that by staying on this comet." The comet's path was now angled in such a way that the ship was exposed out front, leaving them more vulnerable than ever. "We need to get to safety, and I don't know how to fly this thing! I need your help!"

Luma was petrified. She grabbed the star child and hugged him tight. He was trembling uncontrollably. "I need you to be brave, okay? You can do this."

"I can't."

"You have to try." She released Luma from her embrace, who looked up at her timidly.

"What if I mess up?"

"At least you gave it a shot."

The ship collided with yet another piece of junk, buckling the dome of the mushroom's cap and showering the passengers with glass. The ice beneath them, too, gave way, plunging the ship partially into the water below. The force of the impact slammed her against the wall, causing her vision to blur, but she managed to retain consciousness.

Rosalina looked up solemnly at the caved roof. If they tried leaving now, she would asphyxiate as soon as the ship escaped the comet's atmosphere. Luma didn't need the oxygen, though. "Luma," she said as she sat upright. "You need to get out of here."

"I'm so sorry, Miss Rosalina!" Luma cried. "Please don't be mad at me!"

"Listen to me…"

"Please forgive me!"

"Luma, I'm not mad at you. I'm asking you to save yourself."

"What?" he asked. "What about you?"

Rosalina took a moment to calm her nerves. "I'll be fine," she said with all the sincerity as if she truly believed it.

Luma shook his head. "But we promised to protect each other. I can't leave you."

"Finding your mother is more important."

"What about your mother? You still haven't gotten to meet her…"

Rosalina sighed. "I was never going to. She's gone. She…" Her eyes welled with tears. "She passed away when I was still an infant. I was never going to see her again, but you still can meet yours. Just go."

Luma floated up towards the shattered skylight. He stopped to look back, waiting for her to change her mind. "It's okay," Rosalina said again. "Go." Without another word, Luma vanished into the junkyard.

Taking a drink from her water pitcher, Rosalina stared off into the wreckage. With the nearest star countless miles away, she was fortunate to have the light from the ship. While it only lit up the area immediately surrounding her, it gave a small peace of mind. She had to move into the dome, as the main body was submerged beneath the ice. All of the debris was traveling in the same direction, which the repeated impacts had forced her comet into as well. It all seemed to be orbiting something. She squinted, attempting to see further. There was nothing but debris as far as the eye could see. Even the backdrop of space seemed to be devoid of stars.

No stars? She moved to the window opposite. From there, she could see stars twinkling off in the distance. Certainly they couldn't have gone to the edge of the universe. Something big must have been blocking her view. Something big, and black.

"A black hole?" she muttered, remembering them from her astronomy books. It must have been what captured the other ships and asteroids. They were stuck in its orbit, and now, so was she.

Rosalina shivered. Without the windows in place, the ship's warm air was escaping, without which it was becoming no safer inside than outside. She gathered up her basket and telescope and lifted them out of the wreckage. As she set foot on the comet's surface again, the fractured ice plates wobbled under her weight. Topside, Rosalina was able to get a slightly better look at the dense, massive object. The only visible sign of it was the circle of distorted light along its event horizon, and the conspicuous nothingness within that ring. It did not even seem that dangerous; the junk caught in its orbit floated around it gently, and even when there were collisions, the vacuum of space muffled any sound.

All that was left to do was wait for whichever demise caught up to her first. She could fish out a few star bits if she ran out of food, provided she didn't freeze to death or get crushed. Rosalina watched the debris around her, cautiously anticipating any danger of impact. But as minutes seemed to pass into hours, her attention lapsed. Only one or two things collided with the comet during this time, brushing past the slow-moving ball of ice as they hurried along their paths. Neither did much more damage than scraping a layer off the comet's surface.

_I may have gotten in over my head this time_, she thought. It was one thing to sneak out onto the castle grounds, but it was another entirely to stray across the stars. If her father could see her now, he would give her the lecture of a lifetime… and probably the punishment of one as well. Still, she had to prioritize her safety. _Father, if I ever get out of this, I promise you I'll come right home._

The first step towards fulfilling this promise was to get the ship repaired. She clambered back inside, digging around the floor compartments for something to seal the ship, but there was nothing she could use to cover the hole. Even if there was, there was no guarantee that it would keep the ship pressurized. To add insult to injury, the lights on the ship shorted out as it dipped into the water, leaving her in the dark. Only a faint glow from the comet's center remained.

_What is that?_ Rosalina returned to the surface for a better look. It was blurred by the water, but something was definitely there. She held her breath and slipped into the water. Its warmth still surprised her, but she refocused on getting whatever it was that was illuminating the comet like a dim jack-o'-lantern. She dove down, grabbed it, and resurfaced quickly, before she got lost under the ice.

The object was large and star-shaped, almost her own size, and emitted a warm glow. Still dripping wet, Rosalina set it on a patch of grass in front of her and basked in its warmth like a campfire. Free from the ice, the shining object's glow lit up further into the debris field, but nothing appeared salvageable. Any ships adrift in the black hole's orbit were smashed apart by asteroids and each other.

The ice crackled. With its heat source out of place, the far side of the tiny comet was beginning to freeze. Rosalina returned once again to the ship. If it was this object that was creating the atmosphere on the comet, it could protect her from the vacuum as she fled. She began by fiddling with the controls. Luma never taught her how to pilot it, so she was going to have to learn through practice. The ignition was conspicuous, in the bottom right of the panel. She flipped it, but nothing happened. It took her a moment to realize that the ship had stopped running when it shorted out, meaning that the first flip of the ignition switch just shut it off. She flipped it back on, and the ship sputtered, then died. She slammed her fist on the panel.

_Come on, you stupid ship, work!_ She flipped it back off and on, but the ship no longer reacted at all. Rosalina slumped into the seat. "Great."

She took a deep breath._ I have to keep a level head here. How do I get this thing running again?_

Rosalina's contemplation was cut short by a tapping sound coming from the window. She turned to see what was causing it./

She gasped. "Luma?"

The star child joined her in the ship. "I couldn't leave you behind…"

Rosalina smiled. "I figured out how to get out of here, but I need you to fix the ship." She showed him the glowing star-shaped object. "I found this under the ice. I think it was what was creating the atmosphere on the comet."

Luma came in for a closer look. "Wow! It's a power star! And not just any power star, a Grand Power Star!"

"Okay," Rosalina said, nodding. "That sounds useful. Can we use it to power the ship?"

"Uh huh. And I got some help to fix it!" Rosalina looked out the window and saw a large group of creatures that looked like Luma approaching the ship.

"Are they your family?"

"Yep!" Luma declared. "When you told me to leave, I went looking for a new ship for us, but my brothers and sisters found me first. I bet they'll be able to fix the ship!"

A few of Luma's siblings joined them inside the cabin, while the rest looked on from outside. There were probably about three dozen of them. "This is the one you were telling us about, brother?" said one.

"Yep! She's going to help me find Mama!"

"You shouldn't run off like that! We were very worried about you."

"Um, hello. It's very nice to meet you," Rosalina said, changing the subject. "My name is Rosalina."

"Hello," said Luma's sibling. In contrast to Luma's pale white, this one was an apricot yellow. "Thank you for looking after our brother." The star creature turned to its other siblings. "We should start by getting the Starshroom out of the debris field."

"Is that what the ship's called?" Rosalina asked.

"Well, it is the class of ship, yes," answered another, this one a blackish-brown.

"Miss Rosalina!" said Luma. "These are my eldest brother and sister." Based on his motions, Rosalina figured that the blackish-brown one was the brother and the yellow his sister, but beyond color they looked indistinguishably similar.

"Oh, right," Rosalina remembered. "You don't have names, do you? Then I'll just have to give you each one."

"That's not necessary," said the sister.

"How else will I speak to you properly?"

"Perhaps another time. We'll be right back, we'll get you out of this."

"Thank you."

The star children save Luma left the cabin. "Now that your siblings are here, I'm going to have to give you a proper name too, aren't I?" Rosalina observed.

Luma, her original companion, shrugged. "Wouldn't it be easier to keep the same name?"

"That would be too confusing." She thought for a moment. "How about Chiko? It sounds kind of cute."

"If that's what you think is best…"

"Okay then, your name shall be Chiko."

Meanwhile, the other Lumas lifted the Starshroom from the ice. The ship was carried slowly up out of the pull of the black hole, carefully nudging obstacles out of the way. As they returned to open space, the two others returned.

"Are you guys coming with us?" Luma, now Chiko, asked them. "We can find Mama together!"

"Brother, there's no one out there," said the Luma's brother.

His sister chipped in. "The person you're looking for doesn't exist."

"But she has to be real…" Chiko muttered. "I know she is."

Chiko's brother shook his head, leaving the young Luma dismayed. "Cheer up, brother. You still have your family."

Chiko perked up a little. "So you're going to stay with Miss Rosalina and I?"

"Actually," Rosalina said. "After what happened here, I think it would be better for me to go home. I've realized how unsafe it is for me out here, and I miss my own family."

"No!" cried Chiko. "I don't want you to leave!"

"Let her go," said his sister. "She'll be safer there."

"No…"

"It's okay, Chiko," Rosalina said. "You are welcome to visit me whenever you like." With an insincere nod, Chiko went into the corner to sulk.

"He'll get past it," said the sister.

"I know." Rosalina looked at Chiko, then at the others. "Are you all really planning on joining us?"

"It's better we don't lose track of anyone again, but our brother will feel better knowing you returned home safely," said the brother. "We will see you off."

"We'll need a bigger ship, then," Rosalina said. "This little thing can't fit all of you."

"We'll just have to build one, then!" Chiko's sister replied enthusiastically. "We can use parts from the debris field and power it with that power star."

"Okay," said Rosalina. "But first, you're going to need names. That way it will be easier to communicate with each of you directly." Rosalina pointed to Chiko's sister. "How about I call you 'Aurora,' and I'll call you…" She shifted her attention to the brother. "How about 'Polari?'"

"Very well," chuckled the newly-dubbed Polari.

"Perfect," Rosalina said. "It'll give you a little bit of extra individuality as well." She spent something between a half hour to an hour assigning each of the Lumas names, eventually running out of applicable astronomically-inspired names and having to revert to the cutesy ones like she used for Chiko. With that settled, she and Polari organized the others into teams, and the Lumas began salvaging the derelict ships for parts. Meanwhile, Rosalina plotted out the design of their new ship. Her design, roughly outlined in a sketch she carved into a piece of rock from an asteroid with a screwdriver, was inspired by her castle, albeit with only one spire, in the center. The Grand Power Star was set up in the ship's core, providing a field of oxygen and powering the ship. Her first thoughts were a kitchen and bedroom, but a garage was added too, to keep the Starshroom on board. The Starshroom, too, needed repairs, so she had them patch it up as well. While it still showed signs of its battle with the debris field, the craft was patched up and operational before the new ship was ready.

Weeks of concentrated teamwork turned into months. With not much in the immediate vicinity, star bits became a staple of Rosalina's diet, although the honey taste grew to become quite old. However, after almost six months of construction, the new ship was eventually complete. It dwarfed the Starshroom, with a large base floor built around the Power Star engine, and a few extra rooms alongside the necessities Rosalina had initially outlined. It felt a waste to leave those places so empty, so they added in a garden and library, although both were as of yet unused, as there were no books to salvage, and the patches of grass on the comet withered without its Power Star core. The ice, however, was used to create a fountain that could be used as a water source. The project was still a work in progress, but Rosalina wanted to leave the Lumas with a ship worth using. Though she couldn't admit it, she also suggested the add-ons to stall her leaving. She knew she would have to go, but they were such sweet creatures, she couldn't help but enjoy their company.

Still, the day came that the ship was completed. As Polari began preparations for their voyage back to Rosalina's home planet, Rosalina herself sat on the garage platform, staring at the weathered Starshroom.

"Don't worry," said Aurora as she approached. "We'll get you home soon."

Rosalina nodded. "I know, I'm just… having some doubts, you know? It's been so long, and I left for a reason."

"What might that be?"

"Ever since my mother passed away, my father has been strict and overprotective. I just wanted him to recognize that I could take care of myself." She crossed her arms. "Look where that got me. I almost died surrounded by space junk."

"You took a risk, and it didn't pay off," Aurora said. "But you learned from it."

"I know. I'm sure one day, this will all feel like nothing. But right now, it feels like the biggest mistake of my life."

"Maybe it is. But thanks to you, our brother is back with the rest of us, so something good came out of it, didn't it?"

"Yes." Rosalina stood up. "I think I'm ready to go home now."

"Just talk to, um, Polari." The Lumas were still working on getting accustomed to their new names. "He'll get us underway."

Rosalina walked to the front of the ship, where Polari was poring over a large map of the surrounding space. "Is everything ready, Polari?"

"Yes," he replied. "With the power from the Grand Power Star, we should be able to jump from here to your home planet in no time."

"Thank you." Rosalina looked around. There was a lively crew of little star creatures, but one in particular was nowhere to be found. "Have you seen Chiko anywhere?"

"I don't believe he's run off again." Polari thought for a moment. "Check around in the rooms."

Rosalina followed his advice, wandering the ship and searching each of the cabins. She finally found him hiding in the bedroom, behind the makeshift bed. The bed wasn't ideal, but it was still more comfortable than the couches inside the Starshroom in terms of sleeping. She sat down next to Chiko's place on the floor. "I'm sorry I have to leave, but I must."

"Can I come with you?" Chiko asked meekly.

"My father would never allow you to stay there. I think it's better if you are with your family."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." Rosalina picked him up and hugged him. "You know, you really saved me."

"I did?"

"Yes. You went and got help. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be stuck there." She patted him on the head. "Um, take care, Chiko."

She gave him some space, returning to the deck to give Polari the all-clear to begin their voyage. "Hold on tight," Polari told her. The ship began to rotate like a planet on its axis, until the surrounding sky became a blur. Rosalina struggled to stay upright, but as the ship reached speed, it became easier to stand.

"How fast is this thing?" Rosalina wondered.

"At top speed, this ship can approach the speed of light," Polari answered matter-of-factly. "It'll take less than a day to return to your planet." Rosalina left him to it, taking some time to herself.

_If only we could have moved that quickly with the Starshroom_, Rosalina thought. It would have been significantly easier to ration her food supply. Still, it was impressive that the Starshroom had traveled so far out from where they began in only a few weeks. The Luma's technology was certainly amazing, and their ability to traverse between solar systems in a matter of days explained why a race that could survive without oxygen needed ships in the first place.

#

"You're coming down to see me off, right?" Rosalina finished up packing her few belongings onto the Starshroom. It was really only her telescope, books, and the picnic basket, which still held the water pitcher, a jar of Honeyhive honey, and a few pieces of fruit.

"Yes," Chiko sighed. He joined her on the ship.

She needed someone to pilot it anyway, but just about any other Luma could have done it in his place. In Rosalina's mind, though, it had to be Chiko. He was the first Luma she had met, the one she had known the longest. She closed the hatch behind her. "Let's go."

With a deep breath, Chiko took the Starshroom back down to the surface. Fortunately, their landing this time was a lot smoother. He had become comfortable enough that the ship no longer hit the ground hard when landing.

Rosalina popped the hatch and leapt onto the grass. The castle loomed over the hills, looking the same as it had always looked. Chiko remained with her as she headed past the Yoshi nook and up to the large wooden doors. She considered visiting, but the animal was currently out. For a moment, she stood at the castle's gate, as still as a tree. _What will they say after I've been gone for so long? Will they even be happy to see me again?_

"Are you okay?" asked Chiko.

"Yes, I just need to mentally prepare." She shifted in place, took another breath, and knocked.

It didn't take long for a couple of guards to answer the door. "Hello. Can I help you with something?" asked one of the guards.

Rosalina was taken aback. Surely she hadn't been gone nearly long enough to be forgotten, right? "What do you mean?" she asked. "It's me." The guards looked at each other and shrugged. Rosalina had to look around the area again.

"Did we land in the wrong place?" Luma whispered to her.

"No, it can't be." It was definitely her castle. Almost nothing seemed that different after the few months she had spent among the stars. The only reasonable assumption she could make was that her father had declared her a non-person after she ran away, but that was a bit drastic, even for him. However, there was certainly no way that anyone as timid as the Toads usually were would ever stand up to him if he did. Rosalina's shoulders tensed up. "Fine then. Take to me to speak to the king."

"R-right this way," one said quickly. With gritted teeth and clenched fists, Rosalina barged forward. She knew her way around the castle, and soon her 'guide' found himself sprinting trying to keep up with her.

"Father!" she shouted as she flung the doors to the throne room open. She approached the man seated at the throne, but soon realized that it was not her father. Her father was middle aged, with hair that was graying, but not gray. The man on the throne was elderly, possibly even in his nineties. In his age, even the act of looking up at her was lethargic.

Sitting up straight, he said, "Please do not shout, child. I can hear you."

"Who are you?" Rosalina yelled. "Where is my father?"

"Please don't yell," Chiko whimpered. "You're frightening me…"

The man leaned forward with scrutinous eyes. "You seem… familiar. Come closer." Rosalina stepped forward, but kept some distance between herself and the man on the throne. He was there and her father wasn't. He couldn't be trusted. "Yes, yes. I recognize that face. You bear a remarkable resemblance to my sister. Perhaps you must be her granddaughter."

_Wait._ Rosalina loosened up and took another step forward. "Your sister?" she asked, although she already knew the answer, however painful and impossible it might be.

"Yes. Rose vanished a long time ago. She was the best friend I ever had. Please, tell me it's true. Tell me she lived a happy life."

"I don't know what to say," she said, quietly enough so only Chiko would hear her. It seemed like another one of her painful dreams, but it didn't feel like a dream.

Chiko already understood. "Why don't you just tell him the truth?"

_Because it's ridiculous? Heartbreaking? Where do I even start?_ Rosalina looked towards her once-little brother as he cast an expectant gaze with tired eyes. Ultimately, she realized she couldn't lie to him. "Rosalina's still alive," she said. "because she's me. Brother, for me, it's only been a few months since I left."

The man gripped the arms of the throne. "Could it truly be? Impossible…"

"It's true." Rosalina nodded. "Remember how I read stories to you when you were little, and we'd act them out like a play?"

He smiled. "I do."

She ran up and embraced him. "I'm so, so sorry I ran away. I missed you so much."

He patted her on the head. "I forgive you. I'm just happy to see you again."

"I should have at least told you I was leaving, so you wouldn't have to worry!"

"You shouldn't dwell on such things. It's too late to change what happened," her brother said. "It's time to move on."

Rosalina let go and rubbed her eyes. "Y-yeah. I know." She turned to her companion. Chiko was on his way out the door. Quickly, she called out to him. "Chiko, wait!" He stopped and looked back. "Where are you going?"

"You're home now, right? I should be going…"

"Chiko, I…" This time, a proper goodbye was in order. Her only choice was whether she wanted to stay in this once-familiar world, or remain with the Lumas. She knew that she would be safer if she stayed. The cosmos were a dangerous and mysterious place, moreso than she could have known observing from her bedroom window. At the same time, though, her old home felt just as unfamiliar.

"I think I should stay with the Lumas," she finally declared. "Brother, I'm sorry. I meant to return home, but I don't belong here anymore. Too much has changed."

"You… You will?" Chiko asked.

Her brother smiled. "I understand. I want to thank you for all the guidance you gave me when we were children, but it seems there are others who need you now. Just know that whatever happens, you will always belong here."

Rosalina embraced him one last time. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Rose."

She took a step back. "Um… Goodbye." Rosalina started towards the door, but there was one more thing she wanted to do. She procured a jar from her bag and offered it to her brother.

"What's this?" he asked, accepting it.

"It's honey, from the planet Honeyhive. They gave some to me, and I want to share it with you."

"Thank you. I wish you safe travels."

#

"So, you've decided to stay?" Polari asked as Rosalina disembarked from the Starshroom. "What made you change your mind?" Rosalina explained to him what had happened, and why she had decided to stay.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how this could have happened," he said. He took a moment to think. "It must have been an effect of traveling at near-lightspeed."

"It's not your fault," she said softly. "But, is it really possible that we traveled forward in time?"

"Traveled through time, not likely. But the laws of nature are strange. Something happened that caused some form of time dilation. My best guess is that it was our high-speed travel."

"I'm not sure I understand," Rosalina said, trying to figure out how moving a lot faster could also speed up time around you. "Have you ever made a ship that can travel at that speed before?"

"Yes, but very, very rarely. A normal power star isn't sufficient to power that kind of ship, and Grand Power Stars are quite rare. Lumas also don't tend to get involved in the affairs of the worlds we visit, so the passage of time is less noticeable. I suppose it is possible that near-lightspeed travel has that effect, and we just did not notice before."

"I see," Rosalina said, despite still not entirely understanding.

"Should we avoid using it in the future?"

"No," Rosalina said. "There is no need to do that for my sake. There is nothing left for me on that planet."

"I understand," Polari said solemnly.

"Don't feel that you need to keep apologizing. I recognize that I've been very fickle as to whether I should return home or not, but perhaps I wasn't meant to go back after all. It's true, I almost died in that debris field. But you all saved me. As long as I stay with you, I know I'll be safe."

"We'd be happy to have you."

"Hooray!" Chiko cheered. "You really are staying after all!"

"Of course. Do you think I'd make all that fuss and then change my mind again?"

"I think this calls for an official welcome party," said Polari. "How about it? Where would you like to go?"

Rosalina walked up to the star map and perused the different solar systems. "Hm… Perhaps that Beach Bowl Chiko and I were planning on visiting before? We never actually made it there on our first voyage."

"Ooh, yeah!" Chiko said.

"Very well then," said Polari. He left to prepare for departure.

"I know it's selfish of me, but I'm so glad you decided to stay," Chiko said.

She nodded. "I would have missed you all too." Rosalina thought about what her brother said. _It seems there are others who need you now._ "I'm sorry your mother wasn't out there," she said. "But you have my word. I promise to look after you."

"In that case, should I call you Mama? Hooray new Mama!" he cheered. "Welcome to the family, Mama!"

Rosalina chuckled. "Alright, that's enough. Don't you think you're overdoing it a little?"

"Mama, mama, mama!" Chiko chanted.

_Goodness_, she thought. _What have I started?_ 'Miss' was bad enough, but 'Mama' made her feel even older. Although, considering how much time had passed, it was beginning to feel appropriate. As she came to terms with her new title, the ship lurched into motion. Rosalina took one last look at her home planet as it faded from view. One day, I'll come back, she promised. Even if she couldn't live a normal life there anymore, it would be nice to check on the kingdom where she was born someday, and the future of the family into which she was born. For now though, she decided to see the worlds with her new family, among the children of the stars.


End file.
